Helzberg Diamonds yesterday announced that it is sponsoring jockey Javier Castellano, who will ride Gemologist in the Kentucky Derby on May 5. As part of the deal, fans can share Helzberg’s "I Am Loved" button with a Kentucky Derby design via Facebook and Twitter along with their favorite Kentucky Derby memory or story. Castellano will also be available to meet fans at two Helzberg Diamond locations (Helzberg Diamonds).
MAD ABOUT YU: In Dallas, Jeff Mosier reported Wasserman Media Group, which represents Rangers P Yu Darvish, sent “a cease-and-desist letter” to Texas resident Eric Vaughan, who was selling Darvish-inspired T-shirts at YuIsMyHomeboy.com. Wasserman also “sent a copy of the letter to Big Cartel, the online firm that handled the business of processing the orders.” Big Cartel “pulled the plug on sales of the shirts” last Friday. Vaughan’s attorney Joe Bahgat said that he “thinks the ‘Yu is My Homeboy’ shirt will eventually be on sale again.” The T-shirts were "popularized in part by Texas Rangers catcher and fan favorite Mike Napoli.” (DALLASNEWS.com, 4/30).
DRINK TO THIS: MARKETING WEEK’s Sebastian Joseph reported sports drink Lucozade launched the “latest phase of its ‘Faster. Stronger. For Longer’ marketing campaign” during yesterday's Manchester United-Manchester City EPL match “with a TV spot starring England forward Ashley Young.” The ad, via Grey London, is the “first in the series to promote the brand as official sports and energy drink supplier to the England team.” Other ads in the series “have starred Team GB athletes Mo Farah, Phillips Idowu and Louis Smith as Lucozade owner GlaxoSmithKline looks to promote its sponsorship of this year’s Olympic Games” (MARKETINGWEEK.co.uk, 4/30).
YOUR NAME HERE: Piedmont Natural Gas yesterday announced that it has “signed a long-term agreement” with the Triple-A Int'l League Charlotte Knights to “become the first founding partner” of the team’s proposed new baseball stadium. The deal “would include signage and other promotional opportunities," but it remains unclear “whether the ballpark will actually be built” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/1). This comes a week after BB&T announced it had bought the naming rights to the prospective ballpark (THE DAILY).
